Arbeloa to a Real Madrid player in January – ‘You won’t play a single minute under me’

Ironically, Arbeloa’s prediction did not entirely come true. Although Garcia remained a secondary figure within the squad during the early parts of Arbeloa’s tenure, the academy product has gained prominence in recent weeks.

Falling out with Alvaro Carreras as well

Indeed, with Arbeloa having a falling out with left-back Alvaro Carreras, and Ferland Mendy’s injury, have opened the doors for Garcia to play more regularly under the current manager.

Arbeloa’s dressing-room management has raised a lot of eyebrows. (Photo by Fran Santiago/Getty Images)

As already reported, the Real Madrid head coach had a heated exchange with Carreras in the recent past. After the player questioned one of the coach’s decisions, Arbeloa allegedly responded:

“Get your coaching license yourself.”

Arbeloa’s handling of the dressing room has increasingly come under scrutiny in recent weeks, especially following public tensions involving Kylian Mbappe.

The former defender-turned-manager has also had run-ins with Dani Carvajal, Dani Ceballos, and Raul Asencio.

All these incidents further reinforce the growing perception that the atmosphere inside the Real Madrid dressing room has become increasingly unstable.